Collect your order from any Royal Mail post office. You will receive an email or SMS when your order is ready for collection. It will be available to collect for up to 18 days. Proof of Identification will be required.

We dispatch orders from Monday to Friday. If placed before 4pm, your order will be dispatched the same day. Orders placed after 4pm will be sent the next working day.

Next Day Click & Collectⓘ

FREE

Collect your order from any Royal Mail post office. You will receive an email or SMS when your order is ready for collection. It will be available to collect for up to 18 days. Proof of Identification will be required.

Next Day Express deliveryⓘ

+ £3.99

If placed before 4pm, your order will be delivered by 1pm on the next working day. Orders placed after 4pm will sent out the next day and delivered the day after

Saturday deliveryⓘ

+ £7.99

If placed before 4pm, your order will be delivered by 1pm on Saturday.

You will choose your delivery option at the checkout. Delivery options may vary depending on the pack size and dosage chosen.

Lowest UK Price Guarantee

DrEd checks its treatment prices against competitors on a regular basis to ensure it is always competitive. We’re convinced you won’t find the same quality treatment and comparable service for less, but if you do within 14 days of purchase, we’ll refund the difference. All you need to do is contact us and tell us where you found the cheaper price.

What is Cerazette?

Cerazette is an oestrogen-free contraceptive pill containing synthetic progesterone (desogestrel). It is taken to prevent pregnancy. It is an option for women who want to or need to avoid oestrogen, yet it has the greater flexibility of the combined contraceptives in terms of when you can take the pill. Cerazette can be taken in a 12 hour window around a fixed time each day. Other oestrogen-free pills have to be taken within a more restrictive 3 hour window, so this is one of the attractions of taking Cerazette.

Does Cerazette have any advantages?

If you want or need a POP instead of a combined oral contraceptive (COC), Cerazette with its 12 hour window provides more flexibility than other POPs which only have a 3 hour window. Cerazette also acts differently to other POPs : it stops ovulation, whereas most POPs do not consistently suppress ovulation, but depend on cervical mucus for the most part on their effects. Cerazette is therefore the most effective of the POPs.

POPs allow you to use contraception during breastfeeding, and are the recommended type of contraceptive for smokers over 35 years old and for women with body mass index (BMI) more than 35 kg/m2.

How does Cerazette work?

The active ingredient in Cerazette, desogestrel, prevents ovulation (egg release from the ovaries) and increases the thickness of the womb’s mucus lining, which makes it more difficult for sperm to access the womb from the vagina.

In what way is Cerazette different from the other contraceptives?

Many of the other contraceptives are combined, meaning they contain more than one synthetic hormone (usually various versions of oestrogen and progesterone). However, Cerazette contains only synthetic progesterone (desogestrel) so it is one of the “progesterone only” pills or “POPs”. Cerazette must be taken every day, regardless of cycle, unlike the combined contraceptives, which are taken for 21 days, starting on the first day of your period.

Cerazette is different from the other progesterone only pills as it actually stops ovulation, making it more effective. The other “POPs” do not do this.

Which other advantages does Cerazette have?

Since Cerazette does not contain oestrogen, the risks of deep vein thrombosis are eliminated compared to combined oral contraceptives (COCs). Cerazette will not affect breast milk and so can be taken by breast-feeding women, unlike the combined contraceptives. However, you should still inform your doctor if you would like to take Cerazette when breast feeding. In comparison with the other POPs, which have a three hour window, Cerazette can be taken within a 12 hour window around a fixed time every day, which may be more convenient for your lifestyle. Cerazette can also be taken by women who have been advised not to take a combination pill (for example because they are over 35 and smoke).

Can I still get pregnant if I stop taking Cerazette?

Yes, the contraceptive is reversible. Once you are off the minipill, there is a normal chance you will get pregnant. However, if you take your pills consistently and as recommended, protection against pregnancy is 99% effective.

Who takes Cerazette?

Any woman who wants to prevent pregnancy and is over 16 can take Cerazette. You cannot take Cerazette if you are pregnant. However, you can take Cerazette if you are breast feeding, unlike the combined contraceptives which contain oestrogen. In addition, women who smoke can take Cerazette as it is oestrogen-free. Oestrogen in combination with smoking significantly increases cardiovascular risks and the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE), i.e. blood clots and deep vein thrombosis, particularly in women over 35.

What are the disadvantages of Cerazette?

One disadvantage is that you may not get periods whilst on Cerazette (but some women might see this as and advantage), or periods may become infrequent and very light. In addition, as with all oral contraceptives, you need to take the pill at roughly the same time every day.

Are there any other progesterone-only pills?

Yes, there are a wide range of POPs including Femulen, Micronor, Norgeston and Noriday. However, Cerazette is probably the best of the progesterone pills because it can be taken within a 12 hour time frame around a fixed time each day, compared to a 3 hour window with many other POPs. This factor can help you stick to a more effective pill-taking routine. Furthermore, Cerazette also stops ovulation unlike the other POPs, making it the most effective progesterone-only pill.

What can’t I eat whilst taking Cerazette?

No particular food has been found to interact with Cerazette, so you should be able to eat as normal.

Do you need a prescription for Cerazette to order?

No. DrEd will send Cerazette to you after a consultation, provided Cerazette is suitable for your needs.

When do I start treatment?

Since you need to take Cerazette every day for the treatment to be effective, it does not matter exactly when you start taking the Cerazette. It will take a couple of days for the treatment to be effective, so during this time you need to take extra precautions and wear a condom.

Do I still need to use a condom if I am taking Cerazette?

Taking Cerazette does not protect you from STIs (sexually transmitted infections). Using a condom is the best way to provide STI protection, and it is a good back up precaution for preventing pregnancy.

Can I drink alcohol whilst taking Cerazette?

Alcohol does not interact with Cerazette and will not make the contraceptive treatment any less effective. Therefore, it is medically acceptable to drink whilst on Cerazette. However, drinking too much alcohol can have very severe impacts on your general health and so should be avoided.

How will I know if Cerazette is working?

There is no sure way of telling if your treatment is working unless you can test whether you are pregnant or not. Be assured that if you take your contraceptive pill correctly, you will be 99% protected from getting pregnant. It is normal that periods are suppressed or become infrequent or light whilst using Cerazette.

You are not necessarily pregnant if you miss a period whilst on Cerazette.

However, if you are concerned, take a pregnancy test or talk to your doctor.

What dosage do I take?

A Cerazette tablet contains 75 micrograms of Desogestrel. You should take one per day. Taking more than this will not have an adverse health effect, but it will not improve your protection and may make you feel nauseous.

You should take the pill at the same time every day, so that you are taking a pill roughly every 24 hours. Do not panic if this fluctuates within a 12 hour window around the daily time you selected. However, if you do not take a pill in your assigned 12 hour window, you should just wait until when your next pill is due and remember to take this. You will still be protected from pregnancy.

However, if you miss one or more tablets in the very first week of treatment and had intercourse in the week before missing the tablets, there is a chance you can become pregnant. You should ask your doctor for advice.

What if I am sick?

If you vomit or have diarrhoea within 3-4 hours of taking the pill, it may not have been absorbed into your body properly. In this case, take another pill as soon as possible and then continue treatment as usual.

What is in a Cerazette tablet?

Cerazette contains 75 micrograms of Desogestrel as the active ingredient. This is a synthetic version of progesterone, which occurs naturally in the body.

Cerazette Side Effects

As Cerazette does not contain oestrogen, users are not at risk to some of the side effects associated with taking a combined contraceptive.

Almost half of women experience bleeding irregularities whilst on Cerazette, so you should not worry if this applies to you ; it simply shows that the hormone in the tablet is affecting your body as it should.

Common Side Effects include:

headache

loss of libido

acne

nausea

altered mood

breast pain and amenorrhea (absence of menstrual cycle)

These will affect around 10% of women.

Uncommon side effects include:

vaginal infections

vomiting

contact lens intolerance

alopecia, ovarian cysts

fatigue and dysmenorrhea (pain during menstruation)

These will be experienced by between 1 and 10% of women.

Rare side effects include:

rash

Urticaria (a disease affecting the skin through changes to the immune system)

In very rare cases, the breasts may give off discharge or an ectopic pregnancy may be experienced. However, Cerazette avoids many of the more severe side effects associated with the combined contraceptives.

You must not take Cerazette if:

You have severe liver disease/a history of liver disease from which you have never fully recovered

You have sex-steroid sensitive malignancies

You have unexplained vaginal bleeding

You are pregnant

You must discuss with your doctor if:

You are under 16

You are over 44

You have diabetes

You have chloasma (brown patching on your skin)

You have angioedema (rapid swelling of the skin)

You are breast feeding/intend to breast feed whilst on Cerazette

You have breast or liver cancer

Also, if any of these effects start when you begin to take Cerazette, you should stop the treatment and speak to your doctor as soon as possible.

You should be aware that any contraceptive pill can increase your risk of breast cancer.

This risk is only really significant if you or your immediate family have had breast cancer before. You should speak to your doctor if this applies to you. The risk of breast cancer only increases by around 0.3% in women that are taking Cerazette compared to women who do not take any contraceptive pill. This increased risk will disappear after 10 years of stopping contraceptive treatment.

If you have a question about this service, please email info@dred.com with the question, and one of our doctors will get back to you within 24 hours.

There are currently no reviews with this rating.

DisclaimerThe views expressed are those of our customers. If you require advice on a condition or treatment, please contact one of our doctors via your account. Please note: Due to advertising regulations, not all product reviews can be displayed.